A22 (Churchill)
The Churchill tank (A22) was a heavy British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, and its use as the basis of many specialist vehicles. It was one of the heaviest Allied tanks of the war. The origins of the design lay in the expectation that war in Europe might be fought under similar conditions to that of the First World War and emphasized ability to cross difficult ground. The Churchill was rushed into production in order to build up British defences against a possible German invasion and the first vehicles built had flaws that had to be overcome before the Churchill was accepted for wide use. After several Marks had been built a better armoured version - the Mark VII - entered service. The Churchill was used by British and Commonwealth in North Africa, Italy and North-West Europe. In addition many were supplied to the USSR and used on the Eastern Front. Operational History The Dieppe Raid was planned to temporarily take control of the French port of Dieppe using a strong force of about 6,000 troops - mostly drawn from inexperienced Canadian units. The operation, codenamed Rutter, would test the feasibility of opposed landings. Nearly 60 Churchill tanks from the Calgary Regiment were allocated to support the infantry and commandos; they would be put ashore by landing craft. Some problems were anticipated and allowed for: waterproofing of the hulls, canvas carpets to aid the tanks crossing the shingle beach, engineer teams to demolish obstacles and a few of the tanks were fitted with flame-throwers.In the event, the German defences were strong and several tanks in each of the four "waves" were lost on, or before reaching, the beach. Only fourteen got off the shore and past the sea wall. Although effective in engaging the defenders in the town's buildings their progress was blocked by concrete defences; the demolition teams - killed or pinned on the beach - had not been able to accompany the tanks. Some tanks were able to return to the beach once a withdrawal had been signalled but none were taken off. Nearly 70% of the Canadians were killed, injured or captured and none of the raid's objectives were met. Six Mk III Churchills (with the 6 pounder) saw action in the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. This detachment, called "Kingforce", supported the attack of 7th Motor Brigade. The Churchills were fired on many times by German anti-tank guns, but only one received more than light damage. One tank was said to have been hit up to 80 times. Kingforce was disbanded after El Alamein - it had been formed to test whether the Churchills could operate in Africa. Instead a full Tank Brigade of three regiments was sent to Africa, and went into action in February 1943. In one encounter a Churchill tank got the better of a German Tiger I heavy tank: a shot from the Churchill lodged between the Tiger's turret and turret ring, jamming the turret. The crew abandoned the Tiger, which was subsequently captured by the British. As the first Tiger captured by the Western Allies it was particularly useful, and it is now on display at Bovington Tank Museum in the United Kingdom. As the mainstay of the Tank Brigades, which operated in support of the infantry, Churchill units were in operation more often than other tank units. The "NA75" conversions of Churchill Mark III to carry the US 75 mm gun were used in Italy. As the Churchill proved to be a better gun platform than the Sherman, the effective range of the 75 mm was increased. Churchills saw widespread action in Normandy as well as subsequent operations in the Low Countries and into Germany such as the fighting in Reichwald during Operation Veritable. In mid-1944, at the request of Britain's War Office, the Churchill was tested by the Australian Army, along with the M4 Sherman. The results were to be used to determine any modifications required for use in the tropics; Matildas were used as a reference point in the tests at Madang, New Guinea. The Churchill was found to be, overall, superior to the other tanks for jungle warfare. However, it was not used in the Pacific War; only 46 of the 510 Churchills ordered by Australia were delivered by the end of the war. The remainder of the order was cancelled. In late 1950, a Churchill Crocodile squadron was sent to Korea. In action against the Chinese they mostly fought as gun tanks, for example in the Third Battle of Seoul. To restore 1st Battalion, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers' (1RNF) position during the defense of Seoul, Brigadier Thomas Brodie of the 29th Infantry Brigade sent four Churchill tanks as reinforcement, and their contributions to the battle was widely praised by British and American historians. These were the last use of the Churchill in action by the British. The tank remained in the service of the British Army until 1952 with one, a bridge-layer, remaining in service well into the 1970s. The Soviet Union was sent a total of 301 Churchill Mk III and Mk IV types as part of the Lend-Lease programme. Forty-three were lost en route on the Arctic Convoys. Churchills were at the Battle of Prokhorovka (Kursk) in 1943 with the 5th Guards Tank Brigade. The Irish Army took delivery of three Churchill Mk VI tanks in 1948 and a fourth in 1949. They were rented from the British War Office as trials vehicles until 1954, when they were purchased outright. This purchase was despite the fact that the supply and transport corps workshops, who maintained them, had reported that spares had all but run out. Experiments were carried out involving replacing the existing Bedford engine with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine salvaged from an Irish Air Corps Seafire aircraft. The experiment was not a success, although the reasons are not recorded. By 1967 only one Churchill remained serviceable, and by 1969 all were retired. One remains preserved in the Curragh Camp. Category:Vehicles Category:Land vehicles Category:Armoured vehicles Category:Tanks Category:Medium tanks Category:Infantry tanks Category:AFV Category:WW2